Azure Solution Architect (Data & AI)

Make your mark as an Azure Solution Architect at Boskalis!

As the Azure Solution Architect for Data and AI, you are responsible for architecting, designing, and overseeing initiatives within the IT Data Services team, which consists of three sub-teams: Data Engineering, Business Intelligence, and AI.

You act as a key liaison between IT Data Services and other operational IT teams, including Infrastructure Platform Operations and Cyber Risk Management, ensuring secure, scalable, and compliant solutions.

The mission of IT Data Services is to maximize the value of data and AI across Boskalis. We are building a robust data platform based on data products and data pipelines, supported by modern Azure landing zone principles. On this foundation, we develop BI and AI solutions using Power BI, Microsoft Fabric, Azure Databricks, a proprietary Boskalis AI chatbot, and an Azure Digital Twin solution for real-time project monitoring, simulations, and intelligent automation.

Your responsibilities Azure Solution Architect

• Design, own, and evolve the end-to-end Azure architecture for data, BI, and AI platforms.
• Define architectural standards, patterns, and best practices aligned with Azure landing zone principles.
• Translate business needs into scalable, secure, and future-proof solution architectures.
• Guide and review solution designs from data engineers, BI developers, and AI engineers.
• Architect and oversee:
  • Data platforms and pipelines (e.g. lakehouse, streaming, batch processing).
  • BI architectures using Power BI and Microsoft Fabric.
  • AI solutions using Azure Databricks and MLOps practices.
  • Azure Digital Twin solutions integrated with simulation software and real-time events.
• Ensure solutions comply with security, privacy, and governance requirements in close cooperation with Cyber Risk Management.
• Collaborate with Infrastructure Platform Operations on networking, identity, connectivity, and platform services.
• Support teams with architectural decision-making during implementation and delivery.
• Stay up to date with Azure, data, BI, and AI developments, and actively introduce innovations where valuable.
• Contribute to roadmap development for the Data & AI platform at Boskalis.
• Act as a technical sparring partner for stakeholders across IT and the business.

Your qualities and experience
You can move ahead as an Azure Solution Architect if you have:

• At least 2,5 years of relevant work experience.
• Proven experience as a Solution Architect in complex enterprise environments.
• Strong hands-on and architectural experience with Microsoft Azure, including:
  • Azure Data services (e.g. Azure Data Lake, Data Factory, Azure SQL Database, Microsoft Fabric).
  • Azure Databricks.
  • Azure AI services.
  • Azure networking, identity (Entra ID), and security concepts.
• Solid understanding of data engineering, BI, and AI/ML architectures.
• Experience designing data platforms based on data products and domain-oriented approaches is a plus.
• Familiarity with Power BI and transition paths to Microsoft Fabric.
• Experience with Digital Twin, simulation, or event-driven architectures is an advantage.
• Knowledge of DevOps / DataOps / MLOps practices.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong analytical and conceptual thinking skills.
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong stakeholder management and collaboration skills.
• Able to balance strategic vision with pragmatic, hands-on decision-making.
• Fluent in English (spoken and written).